Hard Time
by Blackcat509
Summary: A newly formed SG1 hits a few bumps in the road. Including a tough Colonel, an angry archaeologist and a peace making Jaffa! T only for some rough words.


**I've had this running through my brain for a few weeks now. It was obvious that O'Neill didn't like Carter on the first mission through the gate so I came up with this. Set after Emancipation but before the Broca Divide. I got all the medical details of google, my biology GCSE and stuff I watched on TV, I am not a doctor. I'm not to sure if the legal stuff is true most of it I got from JAG.**

"Colonel O'Neill, this is SG3 we are heading through the gate with Dr. Jackson. Do you need any assistance?" The three remaining members of SG1 could barely hear the radio crackle to life over their own gunfire and that coming from the enemy. Signalling for Carter and Teal'c to lay down more cover fire, Colonel O'Neill ducked down behind a rock to reply.

"No get back to the SGC, and tell Hammond what's happening. Oh and tell Daniel that I'm going to kick his ass into the next century for showing the locals a 9mm beretta."

As O'Neill finished, Daniel came over the radio using a whining tone that immediately began to grate on O'Neill's already frayed nerves. "But Jack, how was I supposed to know that they would be able to re-create it, never mind by the hundreds."

"Makepeace get him through the gate now." Dropping his radio back to his vest, he spun round and began to fire back. Seeing that the enemy was advancing on their position, he order Carter to lay down cover fire while Teal'c retreated.

Watching her CO's hand signals, Sam sent another burst of bullets towards the enemy lines, keeping a watchful eye on the Colonel for his next set of orders. When they came however it was not what she expected. He was ordering her to lay down cover fire while he retreated. This was not the usual method of retreat. She was farthest away form the woods, and would therefore have more ground to cover in her retreat, and it was standard procedure that the highest ranking officer was the last to retreat, therefore giving cover for the rest of the team. Figuring he was testing her nerve, she held her position and sent another round of bullets towards the natives, while her CO bolted for trees.

"Captain Carter, get your ass of the line now." Even over the radio, Sam could hear the anger in his voice.

Sending of one last volley of shots, Sam pushed of the ground and darted towards the woods, but dropped in to the next area of cover. No one was giving her any cover fire. Glancing at where she could make out the shape of Teal'c she set off again, although hyper aware that there was no protection from her team.

"O'Neill, should we not be returning fire, Captain Carter has no protection from us." Teal'c's stoic voice broke O'Neill's examination of his knee.

"The Captain will just have to avoid the bullets." His tone was biter and arrogant.

"Is it not standard procedure to fire at the enemy when retreating in your culture O'Neill?"

"Yes." Looking up at the former first prime, he could the he wasn't satisfied with the answer. "We're low on ammo."

With her blood pumping in her ears, Sam made the last 20 metre dash across the field towards her team. Even through her adrenaline high, she felt the sting of a bullet as it cut through her flesh. Biting back a cry of pain she kept going and was relieved to see the energy bolts from Teal'c's staff whiz past her into the crowd behind.

Teal'c watched the young Captain as she dashed through the line of fire and saw the crimson spray of blood as a bullet pierced her skin. Immediately taking action, Teal'c charged his staff and fired past Carter and into the enemy crowded behind, watching with pleasure as they stopped firing and ran from the areas he had blasted. Seeing she was clear, he reached down and pulled O'Neill to his feet and began to support him in preparation for their escape.

When she reached the two men, Sam could tell that the Colonel had injured his leg as he was leaning heavily on Teal'c who was helping him stay upright.

"Keep moving or that mob will be on us in no time." The order rang painfully in her ears and Sam watched as Teal'c followed his order and he and her CO moved of at fast pace, then quickly fell in behind them. She could already feel the warmth settling in below the wound and instinctively pressed her right hand over it to stem the blood flow. Adding the extra pressure made it feel like the wound was on fire and she gasped in pain.

Teal'c heard the sharp intake of breath from behind him and turned just enough to see Captain Carter pull her hand away form her side covered in blood before pressing it back down again. He knew they had been travelling for over ten minutes and he could not hear any sounds of pursuit.

"We should stop O'Neill." He felt the older man hesitate before continuing to move away from their original location.

"No we keep moving for another mile or so then we can stop."

"I believe Captain Carter is injured." This time he didn't stop and Teal'c saw the irritation flit across his face.

Turning slightly he took in his 2IC, who seemed to holding her side slightly. _'Scientists, out of shape and on a front line combat team'_. Thinking she had a stitch, O'Neill couldn't help but curse the young woman and his CO for having to have her on his team. Picking up the pace slightly, he pushed on. "The Captain will just have to suck it up." Making sure he said this loud enough for the woman in question to hear.

Teal'c was unimpressed by O'Neill's lack of care towards someone under his command, having thought that Tau'ri were more socially advanced than this. Once again he turned and took in the woman behind him and once again tried to make O'Neill see sense.

"O'Neill, I..." He could easily see Captain Carter watching him and didn't miss what she said, even if it was too quiet for the Colonel to catch.

Sam knew that only Teal'c would hear what she said, she'd learnt a lot about him while he was on base. "I'll be fine Teal'c. Leave it."

Although he disagreed with her, he knew that O'Neill would not stop until they had travelled another mile, so silently he continued to help him walk.

With the adrenaline level in her blood dropping, Sam could feel the pain of her injury increase and could feel the blood seeping through her fingers. When the Colonel finally said they should stop for a minute, Sam felt her legs give way and she crumpled to the ground. Teal'c watched Captain Carter as she slipped to the floor while he gently lowered O'Neill onto a fallen log. Leaving O'Neill's side, Teal'c reached for his pack and pulled out the med kit.

"No, we don't have time for that. We need to keep moving. It's going to be dark in an hour." Colonel O'Neill didn't even look over to Teal'c as he said this, and studiously ignored Captain Carter, who he considered the weak link on his team. "Lets go."

Looking over to Captain Carter, Teal'c wasn't sure she would be able to continue moving for another hour, but the weak smile she flashed him told him not to say anything to O'Neill.

The minute break had been enough for Sam to see the extent of her wound. The bullet had glanced off her bottom, left ribs. It wasn't deep, but she couldn't get the bleeding to stop, leaving her jacket, vest and the top of her pants stained rust red. She knew she wouldn't manage moving for another hour but trying to argue with her CO would be futile as he was already injured and would just tell her to 'suck it up' again. So instead she just heaved herself of the woodland floor and fell into line covering their sixes.

30 minutes and Sam could hardly see straight, her head was spinning and her legs felt like rubber. She didn't even realise she was falling until her head hit the dirt with a thud.

O'Neill, who was now not leaning as heavily on Teal'c, spun round with his weapon at the ready, only to see his 2IC sprawled out on the floor clutching her side. "On your feet Captain." Although he used his command voice, his anger coloured it to make it a threat.

Hearing her CO give an order, Sam rallied all her strength and tried to pull her self up to her feet, but only managed a few steps before she collapsed to the floor again, with a strangled cry escaping her throat. Seeing no sympathy coming from O'Neill, Teal'c left his side and bent down next to the Captain and gently rolled her onto her back. He could tell that she was unconscious due to the fact she put up no resistance. Dirt and sweat smudged her face and neck and the red stain on her side had grown to cover most of her left side. Pushing the jacket and vest to the side and rolling her top up, Teal'c revealed her pale stomach and an angry looking gash across her side that was still bleeding.

O'Neill's view was obstructed by Teal'c, but the fact that he was being so gentle with her both irritated and confused him. In his eyes Carter was still the weakling. He was shocked however when Teal'c moved towards his pack and for the first time O'Neill realised what was going on. _'She's been shot.' _ With guilt flooding through him at how he had treated her, the Colonel crouched down by her side and brushed some hair from her face and at once felt the unnatural heat emanating from her skin.

"Damn it Carter, why didn't you say you were injured."

"I believe she did not want to disappoint you O'Neill. She was injured during our retreat." Teal'c's tone was cold and hard as he spoke to O'Neill, reflecting his anger at how Captain Carter had been treated by her commanding officer. Needing to do something to help his 2IC, Jack tried taking charge of the situation.

"Teal'c go scout a place to camp, I'll get Carter patched up as best I can." O'Neill could sense how reluctant Teal'c was to leave so ordered him to do it. As he left Jack reached over to the pack and dragged it closer and pulled out the med kit. Dampening some gauze with disinfectant, he began wiping some of the blood away revealing the wound more clearly. After clearing the blood away, he examined her rib cage, making sure that when the bullet glanced off her ribs none were broken. Realising there was nothing he could do but strap the wound up he pulled out a large piece of gauze and bandage, pulling her bloodied skin closed with tape and strapping the gauze over the top. He was about to draw up a syringe of penicillin and another of morphine when Teal'c returned.

"O'Neill I have found a clearing that will be suitable to camp in."

"OK, can you pack this stuff up while I give Carter this." When they were done, Sam had shown no signs of waking up and O'Neill was about to try and bring her round when Teal'c stopped him.

"O'Neill, you are capable of walking unassisted."

"Uh, Teal'c I can hardly put any weight on my leg." He wasn't being entirely honest, his leg was much better than it had been previously, but his irritation at Carter got in the way of him thinking clearly.

"However you can walk at a slow pace unassisted." The Colonel could sense the Jaffa getting more irritated than he was before.

"Yes I can, but it will be slow."

"Very well, we must travel east." As he was saying this, Teal'c bent down and slid his arms under Captain Carters' shoulders and knees and effortlessly lifted her from the ground. The clearing was only a few hundred metres away and it took only a few minutes to reach it.

Teal'c didn't bother setting up a tent as the night was warm and there seemed to be no chance of bad weather. Gently he lay Sam down on a sleeping bag, careful not to jostle her side, while O'Neill gathered some wood to build a fire. Night was beginning to make its appearance when both men finally sat down and took in the young Captain.

"When did you realise Teal'c." The anger and irritation that had been in his voice only an hour ago had gone, leaving him sounding hollow and disappointed in himself.

"I followed her movements as she retreated, and I witnessed the moment she was shot. It was then that I began to return fire."

"I was going to chew you out about that as well."

"Why would you wish to consume me O'Neill?" Not in the mood to tutor the Jaffa in Earth sayings, O'Neill simply let it go.

"I'll take first watch." Seeming happy to let the older man suffer in his own guilt, Teal'c bowed his head and moved slightly away to begin his meditation. Jack turned back to his 2IC, counting her breaths to make sure she was still alive and he began to think about the days events. He had been dead set on giving her a hard time to see what she was made of, mostly because she was a scientist but also because she was a woman and his trainer at the Air Force academy had been against women being in the military, and therefore had instilled his beliefs on his young cadets. Looking at his watch, he noticed had been caught up in his own mind for over an hour and realised he should check the bandage on her side. Shuffling over to her, Jack began rolling up her top and was relieved to see that the wound had stopped bleeding, but was dismayed to find her temperature had risen.

"Teal'c, we need to get her back to the SGC." The former first prime rose effortlessly from his cross legged position on the ground and walked over. "She's getting worse."

The trip back to the gate was made in almost silence as the Colonel had to make sure he didn't fall flat on his face, hopping on one leg as he was and Teal'c was trying to keep Sam as still as possible. As the night went on the darkness deepened and turned into an inky blackness that surrounded and encased everything, with the hand-held flashlights doing little to dispel the gloom.

"OK, we should be about one click from the gate."

"Indeed O'Neill, we are close now." They continued on for a few more minutes in silence until Captain Carter began shaking in Teal'c's arms. "O'Neill something is wrong." The concern in his voice had Jack next him in a minute, examining his second.

"I think she's in some kind of shock." Picking up on the sense of urgency in his tone both men sped up and limped their way back to the gate. They were both surprised to see the blue puddle open and shattering the dark around them.

"O'Neill, I believe there is a M.A.L.P. near the gate and that the darkness may be preventing the radio functioning properly. I have heard stories of a planet where a long range communication device does not function at night."

"Great." Limping up to the probe, the Colonel stuck his head in front of the camera and addressed his CO.

"General, it's SG1, were going to need medical team."

"The iris is open son, come on home." Was the slightly metallic reply he received through the M.A.L.P.'s relay. Neither man wasted any time in entering the wormhole.

General Hammond waited patiently for his team to return through the Stargate, Dr. Jackson stood at his side. Hearing the blast doors open he looked over to where a med team was entering the gate room, the newest addition to the SGC shouting orders at her staff. A ripple on the event horizon preceded the arrival of Colonel O'Neill, who limped down the ramp towards Hammond and Daniel.

"Colonel are you OK?"

"Yeah." His answer was devoid of all emotion. Turning his back on his CO, Jack looked back up the ramp to where Teal'c was just coming through, cradling Sam against his chest. O'Neill seemed to lose track of time as both he and Carter were rushed of to the infirmary.

Daniel, Hammond and Teal'c followed in silence as they left the gate room, the small precession of medics and patients having already gone. When they arrived however they were prevented from entering the infirmary by a nurse.

"I'm sorry Sir, but Dr. Fraiser said to keep everyone out of the infirmary while she works on the patients." General Hammond was about to pull rank when the Doctor in question appeared.

"It's OK Cathy, let them in." The three men took in her appearance, as none had meet her properly as they followed her through the chaotic room. Roughly 5'2'' with dark chocolate eyes and rich auburn hair, however what concerned them most were bloodied gloves she was wearing. Guiding them to the bed that Colonel O'Neill was sat on she attempted to extract herself from their company.

"I'm sorry gentlemen but I need to scrub for surgery."

"Doctor, what's their condition?"

"Captain Carter has a gunshot wound to her lower left ribcage. The bullet was deflected off the bone but I think a fragment of the bullet chipped off and is still embedded in her side. Colonel O'Neill got away lightly, with a twisted knee. It'll need strapping up but will be fine in a week or so. Now if you'll excuse me."

With the Doctor gone, General Hammond decided to find out what had happened on the planet. "Colonel, the de-briefing will be in one hour."

50 minutes, a bandaged knee and one pair of crutches later, Colonel O'Neill limped his way into the briefing room. Only Teal'c was there when he arrived and he could easily see the determined expression on his face.

"O'Neill."

"Teal'c."

"I intend to tell General Hammond what happened on P9D-833."

"Yeah, me too, just after the briefing."

"Why do you wish to wait O'Neill? Would not Daniel Jackson find out eventually."

"Find out what." Neither men had heard the young archaeologist enter and could hear the curiosity in his voice.

"Never mind Daniel."

"You will understand after the briefing Daniel Jackson." The glare that passed between the two men was not missed by Daniel who realised that something bad had happened on the mission. Hammond's arrival did nothing to dispel the tension in the room.

"Gentlemen, please take a seat." Colonel O'Neill took point after this moment, retelling the events of what had happened, in a detailed yet selective format, missing out how he had treated Captain Carter. Jack had been watching Teal'c throughout his explanation of the mission, and could see his expression change with each passing minute, however with no interruption, the Colonel thought Teal'c might wait until after the briefing to explain to the General what really happened. It was General Hammond however, who destroyed Jack's hopes.

"Teal'c, do you have anything to add." In Colonel O'Neill's eyes, the question was fatal.

"This is not exactly how many events transpired General Hammond." Teal'c's voice held no pleasure at what he was about to say, even though he knew that it was the right thing to do.

"Teal'c, what do you mean?" Daniel's confused voice echoed General Hammond's equally confused face.

"During our retreat, O'Neill ordered Captain Carter to lay down cover fire as both he and I retreated to the tree line. He then prevented myself from returning fire, stating that we were low on ammunition. It was only when Captain Carter was injured that I began to fire at the enemy. O'Neill also failed to realise that Captain Carter had been injured and when I tried to inform him of her condition he proceeded to tell her to 'suck it up'. I regret to inform you General Hammond that Colonel O'Neill's treatment of Captain Carter could be what led to her injury." Having never heard the Jaffa speak for such a long time it took the General a moment to process what had been said, but when everything sank in he was less than impressed.

"Colonel O'Neill in my office." Daniel, who had never heard the even tempered General shout jumped in his seat, whereas Teal'c looked mildly shocked and Jack looked scared shitless. Being on the wrong end of a two star General never ended well. Reluctantly, Colonel O'Neill dragged himself to his feet and followed his CO wincing as the General's door slammed behind him.

"Maybe we should go and check on Sam." Not wanting to hear what was going to be said in the General's office, both Daniel and Teal'c left the briefing room, quickly.

"Jack, what the hell were you playing at out there. The Captain could have been killed because of you pig-headedness. You'll be lucky if you don't get busted down to airmen, that is if they let you keep your wings at all. God Jack, I expected more from you." If the General's voice rose much more, Jack guessed that they would be able to hear it on the top of the mountain.

"You think Captain Carter will press charges?"

The self-loathing in his 2IC's voice told Hammond that Jack didn't need his ass chewing out by him, but be damned if he wasn't going to give him a hard time. He deserved it. "I'm going to recommend that she does, if she survives this. And if she doesn't come through this then I'm going to be telling Jacob exactly what happened out there. Classified or not, and I'll tell you General Jacob Carter is a hard man to get along with. Especially if his only daughter doesn't make it. So if I were you I would start praying that she does. Now get out of my office and don't even think about leaving the base." Saluting sharply, Jack turned on his heel and left the General's office and kept his head down walking through the corridors of the SGC, already hearing the half whispered remarks from airmen as he passed.

As the other half of SG1 reached the infirmary, the two men were greeted by a calm environment, a direct contrast to how it had been earlier. Spotting the only occupied bed in the room, and the new CMO stood close by. It took only a few seconds for them to reach the bed.

"Dr. Fraiser." It was obvious that she hadn't heard the men approach, due to the fact that she flinched when she heard them speak, dropping the pen she had been using. Regaining her composure she addressed the two men in front of her.

"Dr. Jackson, Mr. Teal'c. I didn't hear you come in."

"It's just Teal'c and, please call me Daniel. We just came to see how Sam is."

"Captain Carter was in hypovolemic shock when you brought her through the wormhole, the wound was also infected. When we got her into surgery, I managed to pull out these." Reaching into her pocket, the young Doctor handed Daniel a small plastic bag. When he inspected it closely he could see three separate chips of metal, varying in size. "They were lodged in the intercostal muscle between her lowest left ribs. She must have been in some pain. Oh and it's Janet."

"Can we sit with her." Seeing the pain on the young man's face, Janet didn't have the heart to say no.

"Of course, I'll get a couple of chairs."

"I will assist you Dr. Fraiser." As Janet and Teal'c walked away Daniel stepped closer to the bed and took hold of Sam's hand, willing her to wake up.

As Janet followed Teal'c through the halls of SGC, she couldn't help but ask what had happened to the Captain lying in one of her infirmary beds. Teal'c didn't spare any details in his explanation to the Doctor beside him and by the time they returned with the two chairs, Janet was more than shocked. Daniel could easily understand the look on her face.

"What do you think will happen?" Daniel asked Janet, knowing she was the only officer who was privy to the entire situation and was impartial enough to not let her feelings for either officer get in the way.

"Well, Captain Carter will be interviewed when she wakes up, most likely by the General and once he has all the facts, she will be given the opportunity to press charges of negligence and dereliction of duties involved with command against Colonel O'Neill, in which case it will go to court marshal and a hearing. I expect she will also be given the opportunity to transfer to another team if she doesn't want to go through with a court marshal."

"Do you think she will go through with it."

"I don't know, but if she does she will have a strong case. A lawyer will be able to say that the Colonel was against women in combat and therefore pushed her harder that he would if she was a man ect, ect. You get the gist. Ultimately it's her choice."

Daniel hadn't expected such a detailed description from the Doctor and couldn't help but find out why. "Were you in law school before you became a Doctor." He couldn't keep the smile out of his voice.

"No, I was married to a lawyer."

Jack had been limping around the corridors of level 32 for over an hour, the empty space giving him space to think. He knew he had screwed up and let his team down in the worst way possible, he'd let his 2IC be injured and not even known about it. He wanted desperately to go to the infirmary to see how she was doing, pour his heart out about his guilt over what had happened and apologise but even though she would be unconscious, the rest of his team would be there and they would not welcome him. However his need to check on Carter's welfare overwhelmed him and he headed towards the elevator. The ride up to the infirmary floor and the trip to the room itself seemed to take a life time, but in that life time Teal'c had heard his approach and was now blocking him from entering the infirmary.

"You are not welcome here O'Neill."

"Please Teal'c, I just need to know how she's doing."

"Captain Carter is unconscious."

"Damn it Teal'c let me in the damn infirmary." Hearing the raised voices, Dr. Fraiser made her way over to the two men to try and calm the situation down.

"Teal'c let him in, he won't leave until he sees how she is." Turning away from the large Jaffa, she addressed the Colonel. "Sir, 5 minutes. I can't have fighting in here."

"What's her condition?"

"She was in shock from blood loss and there were fragments from the bullet lodged in her side. I've given her two units of blood and got her on IV antibiotics for the infection."

"Will she be OK?"

"Given time, but it will be a few weeks before she can go on active duty again." He nodded absently and turned away from the woman next to him, laying eyes on his 2IC properly for the first time since being on the planet. Daniel was sat next to her, holding her hand in his. Her skin was pale, making her hard to pick out from the white sheets, all the dirt had been washed off, but a light bruise was forming on her cheek from where she fell head first into the dirt and there were tubes attached to both her arms and an an oxygen line running to her nose. Walking up to her other side, Jack took hold of her other hand and squeezed it gently.

"I'm sorry Carter. You should never have been hurt and it's my fault." Quietly he turned to leave, gently laying her hand back down on the bed next to her. "It's up to you to wake up now."

Both Teal'c and Daniel remained at Sam's side for several hours with no sign of a change in her condition when General Hammond showed. Daniel never heard him walk in and stand just behind him, until he placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him.

"General, I never heard you arrive."

"I can see that. Do you know where Dr. Fraiser is?" Daniel didn't seem to be able to find the energy to respond, so instead pointed over towards a small room. "Thank you, oh and by the way son, go and get some sleep. You won't do yourself or the Captain any good if your exhausted." He turned and headed away from the bed, walking towards the room Daniel had indicated. The room was brightly lit in comparison to the semi darkness of the main infirmary and Dr. Fraiser was stood with her back to the door, focusing on several x-ray films. She had however heard him come in and turned to him when he stopped moving.

"Sir."

"Doctor, how's Captain Carter doing?"

"She's doing well Sir, with any luck she will wake up some time tomorrow."

"If that's the case then why do you look so concerned, Doctor."

"It's nothing Sir." Seeing the scepticism on his face she amended her statement. "I wanted to make sure I got all the bullet fragments out Sir. I have a bad feeling I missed one, but I can't find it."

"Very well, inform me when she regains consciousness." With that he turned and left, dreading what would happen when Captain Carter came too.

Daniel had returned a few hours later and had been sat next to Sam ever since, holding her hand in his own. Teal'c had left a couple of hours earlier to go and complete kel'no'reem and Daniel was almost certain that Dr. Fraiser had fallen asleep looking at the x-rays of Sam's chest. Every time he thought of what had happened he couldn't help the guilt that plagued him for showing the natives a gun, but the anger he felt towards Jack, a man who he had considered fair and supportive of his those under his command, had pushed his 2IC to the limit and not taken notice of her injury until she had collapsed on the floor. When Daniel looked at her, he realised she didn't look as bad as she had when he had first seen her. She was breathing easier, the lines on her face had eased with the pain and she wasn't deathly pale like before, but it was nothing like the bright, vibrant woman who he had meet for the first time on Abydos, Captain-Doctor Samantha Crater who had talked a mile a minute in her scientifically thrilled way about the DHD and the Abydos cartouche and then showed that she cared enough to make sure he was all right after seeing his wife turned into a Goa'uld and then asked him to call her Sam, because that what her friends called her and that she included him in that group.

"Sam, I don't know if you can hear me, but I need you to wake up soon. It's too quiet without you. Please Sam." He didn't expect a response, and he didn't get one. Shifting in his chair minutely and resting his head on his other hand, Daniel tried to get comfy sat next to Sam, all the while still holding onto her hand.

When Sam finally became aware again, she knew instantly that she was in the infirmary due to the irritating bleeping behind her right shoulder. The lights were dim in the room, so it took awhile before she could see everything around her clearly but she was surprised when Daniel came into focus, it was only then that she noticed he had a firm grip on her hand and that he was fast asleep. Other than the two of them, the infirmary seemed empty. Gently Sam turned her hand over, so that she could take hold of his hand too and gave it a squeeze, just enough to wake him up. Instantly his eyes shot open and locked with hers.

"Sam!"

"Hey Daniel." Her voice was worse than she had expected, dry and scratchy. Picking up on her problem, Daniel reached over and poured her a glass of water and held it to her lips so she could take a drink. "Thanks."

"Hold on, stay right here, while I go get Dr. Fraiser." All Sam had the strength to do was nod. With that Daniel sprang from his chair and practically ran into the x-ray room, only slowing when he spotted Janet, her legs tucked up to her chest arms folded on them and her head resting on them, fast asleep. He couldn't help but notice how worn out she looked, even in sleep, but right now he needed her to be awake.

"Dr. Fraiser." Getting no response, he shook her shoulder and tried again. "Janet, wake up." Still there was no movement, just as he was about to try again she spoke.

"What is it Daniel?" She hadn't moved yet, but at least he knew she was awake.

"Sam's awake." That got her moving. Within a minute they were both by the side of Carter's bed.

"Hey Captain, how you feeling?" She said this while shining a penlight in her eyes.

"I've been better."

"How's the pain level?"

"Fine." Both Daniel and Janet shared a look.

"I want an honest assessment Captain."

"Call me Sam." Looking at the Doctor next to her, Sam could tell she could see straight through her attempt at changing the subject. "It could be worse, but it's pretty bad."

"OK, I'm going to get you another shot of morphine and then call the General, and please call me Janet." She was just turning to leave when Sam spoke again.

"Have you got anything that won't put me back to sleep."

"I'll get you something, but it won't take the pain away completely, just bring it down a bit. Oh, by the way, you might want to see these." Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a plastic bag, handing it to her patient.

"Is that what's left of the bullet?" She asked, eyeing the bag with curiosity.

"Yeah."

"Add them to the collection." Daniel was surprised at the humour in her voice.

"You've been shot before." Daniel was shocked.

"Yes, in the leg, got the bullet at home somewhere."

"Oh." It was at this moment that Janet returned and injected something into her IV.

"General Hammond will be down in a few minutes." Those few minutes were spent by Daniel filling Sam in on how long she had been out and what had happened around the base during that time.

General Hammond had been more than relieved when he had received a phone call from the infirmary. Now was the part of the job he was looking forward to the least, questioning his officer on what had happened out in the field. When he reached the infirmary he could immediately see the change, Captain Carter was awake and talking, and Dr. Jackson looked like he had had the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. As he approached, he could see Captain Carter spot him and try and sit up straighter only to suddenly stifle a cry of pain and end up curled around her side, and then he could only watch as Daniel almost jumped out of his skin in concern.

"At ease Captain. Are you OK?"

"Yes, Sir. Just pulled the stitches a bit." She said with a slight smile.

"Dr. Jackson, I need to talk with the Captain about what happened, I'm not sure if you want to stay or not for that."

"I would like to stay, if that's OK with you Sam. I don't have too." Daniel was glancing between the General and Sam so quickly it was making her dizzy.

"You can stay if you keep your head still, your making me feel sick." The light comment Sam had meant came across as though there was something wrong, causing both men instant concern. Seeing the faces change, Sam immediately reassured them. "I'm fine though."

"OK then. Captain, please can you tell me what happened on P9D-833." Sam nodded weakly, took a steadying breath and began to explain the mission from the beginning, until she had passed out and was no longer aware of what was happening. She knew why the General was asking all these questions but had not given it much thought until he brought the topic up.

"Captain, after hearing your version of events and Teal'c's, it is my impression that Colonel O'Neill acted poorly in command, and if you wish you could charge him with negligence in action. But that would mean a court marshal. However if you would prefer, you could for go a court marshal and transfer off SG1 onto another team." Hearing it out loud made it seem more real somehow, but no less awful at the choice she had to make, and it must have showed.

Daniel, who had sat silently and listened throughout everything Sam had said could see her getting more worn by the second and after everything the General had said, she looked like she was drowning in everything that had happened.

"Maybe, we should let the Captain think about it for a while, because to be honest Sam, you look like your about to pass out." Sam didn't even have the strength to agree. At seeing this both men got up and left, with Daniel making a slight detour through Janet's office explaining what had happened and returning to Sam's bedside to tell her he would come back and see her in the morning.

After Jack left the infirmary, he hadn't been able to the image of his second out of his head. She had been so still, especially her fingers, which during that first briefing hadn't stopped moving. As he went over the mission again and again, he finally came to a startling realisation. He had been dead set on pushing her to see what she was made of, but not only had she lived up to his expectations which had shocked him anyway, but she had exceeded them. He couldn't help feeling slightly proud of her achievements, even though he didn't know her and he had never been her CO. Realising it had been several hours since he had left the infirmary, with no word on Captain Carter, he decided to make a return trip and she how she was.

After initially hardly being able to keep her eyes open, Sam was glaring at the dull grey ceiling, wide awake and even though the pain hadn't gone it had eased enough to let her think straight. As angry as she was at the Colonel, she didn't want to press charges and there was no way in hell she would give up SG1. Her mind kept giving her only one option, talk it through with him and see if she can get an answer out of him as to why he was such and ass. But it wasn't like she could just get up and go find him. Hearing footsteps echoing down the corridor, Sam shut her eyes pretending to be asleep, just in case it was Dr. Fraiser. She was more than a little surprised to hear her CO's voice.

"Carter, um, are you awake?" Sam took too long deciding if she really wanted to talk to him. "Guess not, I'll come back in the morning." He paused and then spoke again. "I'm sorry Sam." Hearing him use her first name kicked her into action.

"I'm awake, Sir."

"Oh, right. Can we talk?" He was admittedly hesitant, he had after all been pretty harsh on her. When she took her time responding again, he wondered if she was completely awake, so decided to test the theory. "If you want, I mean I can go. If you don't want me here."

"I don't want to press charges, Sir." Her admission filled him with relief, and gave him the courage to talk to her. Taking one of the two seats next to her bed, Jack looked at her, his emotions playing out in his eyes.

"You should Carter. I was wrong out there and I don't want you to let it slide. I'm sorry."

"Yes, Sir. You were wrong, but so was I. I should have informed you that I had been shot straight away, Sir. But I didn't."

"You shouldn't have had to Captain, I should have noticed. I'm sorry."

"Sir, would you stop saying your sorry and help me sit up." Instantly Jack was on his feet and helping her shuffle up the bed, jamming a couple of pillows behind her back and flinching when he heard her stifle a cry of pain.

"Carter, are you OK. Should I get the Doc?"

"I'm fine." Although he sat back down, he didn't believe her.

"Captain, if your not going to be pressing charges, then I guess you want to transfer of SG1. You don't deserve a CO who won't listen to you." He couldn't keep the sadness out of is voice. He'd seen what she was made of and more than wanted her to be a part of his team, he could tell she would be a good fit. Her answer was not what he expected.

"Over my dead body." She couldn't keep the irritation out of her voice at that comment, however she belatedly realised that she had been insubordinate. "Sir. Over my dead body, Sir" Jack couldn't help but let out a cocky grin at her reaction to her own insubordination, making her giggle slightly and hold her side in pain. Seeing the concern on his face she brushed it off and carried on speaking, noting in the back of her mind how the pain was steadily increasing.

"Just one question, Sir. How come you pushed me so hard?"

He knew the answer, he just didn't know how to put it in to words until it hit him. "I just wanted to see if you were as tough as you talked." Once again he flashed her a smile which she returned. "And just so you know, you need to learn to talk tougher, because you are hellish tough in the field." When he watched her brow furrow in what he thought was concentration, Jack thought he had said something wrong.

"Look, Carter. I was wrong out in the field and it will _never_ happen again. Ever." Sam just nodded absently, the pain in her side growing. The Colonel seemed to sense something was wrong. "Carter, what is it, what's wrong?"

"I don't know." Was all she could choke out. O'Neill was instantly on his feet and rushing to the small office across the infirmary. He didn't even register the look of confusion on the woman's face, never mind her question of why was he in the infirmary.

"Some thing's wrong with Carter." His guilt at being the reason she was in the infirmary building again. After a quick assessment by the Doctor, Jack was asked to leave, which he did reluctantly, taking up residence on one of the chairs outside the infirmary, just as Daniel and Teal'c arrived back to check on their friend. Upon seeing Jack, Daniel grew instantly angry, while Teal'c cast his stoic yet pissed off glare on him.

"What are you doing here?" The disgust in Daniels voice quickly reminded O'Neill that although he had talked it through with Carter, Daniel and Teal'c still think he is out to push Carter to her limits and give her a hard time, a hard time they are dead set against her having to go through.

"We were just talking about what happened Daniel."

"Then why are you out here, why aren't you still talking?"

"Something happened, the Doc kicked me out." It was too late to realise what he had said because Daniel took it the wrong way too quickly.

"What did you do to her, what did you say." Jack had never heard his friends voice so angry before.

"Nothing, I didn't say anything."

"Then why are you out here, you have to have said something to have been kicked out." Both men continued to argue, neither of them noticing Teal'c picking up the nearest phone and calling General Hammond, who arrived quickly breaking the two men up.

"COLONEL O'NEILL, DR. JACKSON. THAT IS ENOUGH." When both men had stopped their yelling match, Hammond sent them separate ways telling them to walk it off, and to sort the problem out later, when one of their team wasn't lying in an infirmary bed in serious condition. Turning to Teal'c, he gestured for him follow him into the infirmary, which was in a flurry of activity once again.

"Get a chest x-ray over here and start preparing for surgery. Captain, I think that there is still a small chip of metal in your side and moving around has made it shift. Were gunna get out in a few minutes OK." Both Hammond and Teal'c shared a look and quickly left the infirmary, taking up two of the chairs outside to wait.

30 minutes later and they were joined by Dr. Fraiser, holding a tiny sliver of metal in her palm. "This is what was causing the problem, Sir. It had slipped behind her rib and only moved enough to picked up on x-ray when she was moving around earlier."

"Can we see her?"

"Yes, Sir. She had a local anaesthetic, so the Captain is awake, just a bit fuzzy."

Daniel was fuming. When he had seen Jack outside the infirmary, all he could see was red. First he had nearly killed her on one of their first missions, and quite possibly her last and then he had pretended to care enough to go and see only for her to end up having to have Janet send him out of the infirmary.

"If I see him again, he'll be the one needing a Doctor." His words echoed around his lab as the door slammed behind him.

Jack felt immensely better after talking to Carter, but Daniel had taken things the wrong way and now he needed to make him understand. He knew this would mean it would take longer for the team to get into its own synch, but he wanted to make that happen with these three people. He couldn't help himself in heading straight back to the infirmary only an hour after Hammond had told him to cool off and now as he limped back in, he was relieved to see Sam sat up and talking to the General and Teal'c. Patient as he was, Jack sat down on one of the chairs outside the infirmary, not wanting another confrontation.

Although she was in a great deal of pain, Sam was sat, talking to General Hammond about what she wanted to do about the incident.

"I want to drop any potential charges, Sir." Sam was relieved at how steady her voice came out.

"Captain, are you sure. The Colonel hasn't tried to talk you out of this in any way."

"It was my own decision, Sir, and I've worked too hard just to give up my place on SG1."

In many ways, Hammond wasn't surprised by what he was hearing. Sam was as stubborn as her father, and would never give up on anything, and he hoped to God that O'Neill and herself had been able to work this out.

"Very well then Captain, SG1 will be on stand down until you can be put back on active duty." With that he stood and left, giving Jack a supportive pat on the shoulder as he passed him.

Turning her fading attention back to Teal'c, Sam tried to make light conversation.

"So, Teal'c. Where's Daniel and Colonel O'Neill?"

"Daniel Jackson and O'Neill engaged in a argument outside the infirmary. I was forced to call General Hammond, who told the men 'walk it of.'"

"Why were they arguing?" Sam could feel herself slowly falling asleep due to all he drugs in her system, but was determined to get to the end of this conversation.

"Daniel Jackson believed O'Neill had been forced to leave the infirmary after causing you emotional distress."

"Oh. He didn't you know. Can you get them to sort it out Teal'c, it'd be nice to see you all together." Teal'c could do nothing but watch as the Captain's voice became slurred and her eyes began to slide shut.

"Would it not be best for you to rest Captain Carter?" However he got no response as Sam had already fallen asleep, so as gently as he could, Teal'c moved her so she was lying on her back and pulled the blanket up over her to keep her as warm as possible. "I will endeavour to make O'Neill and Daniel Jackson reconcile before you regain consciousness." It was something he intended to keep his word on.

It was easy for Teal'c to find O'Neill as he was still sat outside the infirmary, waiting for word on his second.

"O'Neill, I wish to help yourself and Daniel Jackson reconcile." It took Jack a minute to realise what had been said to him.

"How do you figure your gunna do that Teal'c. 'Cos Daniel ain't talking to me at all." Said Jack, in the most dejected voices Teal'c had ever heard.

Teal'c looked at his friend for a moment, no longer seeing the harsh, callous man who had caused many of the problems in the first place, but seeing the man who had convinced him to turn on his God, and join the Tauri to fight against him.

"I believe we must convince Daniel Jackson of your guilt over the events that have transpired and inform him of Captain Carter's decision about her future on SG1. I believe he will then understand and you will be able to reconcile your differences."

All Jack had to do was look in Teal'c's eyes to see that he was serious about helping him and Daniel become friends again, the only thing was, he didn't understand why. Only 24 hours ago, Teal'c had held only contempt in his eyes for O'Neill, and he couldn't understand the change.

"Teal'c, its not that I'm trying to stop you doing this, but why are you willing to help me?"

"You have expressed your regret and guilt at the events that have transpired." Even though he had stopped talking, Jack knew there was something that he was holding back.

"And." He prompted.

"Captain Carter has expressed her wish to see all of SG1 when she wakes. I believe it would be beneficial to her emotional well being if this were to happen."

"That's nice T." In response Teal'c bowed his head and then set off to follow the Colonel in his search for Daniel.

It didn't take Teal'c long to find Daniel, Colonel O'Neill having opted to wait in the commissary for them to prevent Daniel from refusing to come.

"Daniel Jackson, I require your company in the commissary."

"Shouldn't you be staying with Sam, making sure that Jack doesn't upset her again."

"Captain Carter is currently asleep. Dr. Fraiser informed me that you have not consumed nourishment in the past 24 hours and has asked me to ensure you do."

"Fine." Teal'c could tell Daniel was still a little tense after his argument with O'Neill earlier.

The commissary was empty when Teal'c and Daniel arrived, with the Colonel opting for a table near the back. Teal'c was instantly aware of Jack's location and steered Daniel towards the coffee cart and then in the direction of the back table. Jack, for his part was doing his best not to look like he hadn't been waiting for Daniel, by glaring moodily at his own mug.

"I'm going back to my lab." Was Daniel's firm response at seeing Jack sat in the back of the room, however Teal'c's firm grip on his shoulder prevented him from leaving.

"Would now not be a good time for you to reconcile your differences, Daniel Jackson. I believe it would be in your best interests and the best interests of Captain Carter, O'Neill and SG1 if you were once again friends."

Daniel couldn't agree more with the point, but part of him wouldn't accept that Jack felt sorry for what he had done to Sam and was actually willing to try and be friends with him. Surely Sam wouldn't accept his apology so lightly. Looking over to Teal'c he could instantly tell that he wasn't getting out of this and, grudgingly headed over to the table Jack was currently occupying.

"Daniel."

"Jack."

"We should talk."

"Maybe we should." For many minutes both men simply stared at each other over the table top, the tension in the room, palpable.

"Carter isn't going to press charges." After the extended silence, Jack's voice was painfully loud in the empty room.

"What gives you that idea. Hammond has recommended that she does."

"She doesn't want to Daniel, and she won't leave SG1." Once again, both men sat and glared at each other. Teal'c, seeing that they were getting no where decided to help them along, and after several hours of glaring, arguing and quiet talking, both men finally shook hands and placed the last mission behind them.

None of the men noticed General Hammond leaning against the door frame. Having heard that the commissary was of limits due to a SG1 conference of sorts, he had gone down and prayed that they had been working things out. When he saw his prayers had been answered the Texan General felt an immense sense of relief for his baby flagship team and that they would get through this.

When Sam opened her eyes she first thought she was alone. That was until Colonel O'Neill stuck his head directly in her line of vision with a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Jack, let her wake up. She's only just opened her eyes."

"Daniel, be quiet. Teal'c, go get Fraiser." After issuing orders, the Colonel's voice softened as he addressed his 2IC. "Hey Carter, how you feeling."

Daniel beat her to an answer. "Oh I dunno. She's just woken up from a second surgery, has enough drugs in her system to kill any thought of pain and has opened her eyes to see your ugly mug. I imagine that is _exactly_ how she's feeling Jack."

"Why don't you let her answer for herself. I'm sure she wants to."

"Oh, I just wanted to see your reaction." Now, Daniel was wearing the same smug grin that Jack had been, only a few minutes ago. However both men lost their smugness and replaced it with shock horror when Janet walked up behind them.

"Do you gentlemen mind not having a bickering contest in the middle of my infirmary." She then turned to the Captain, barely containing a smile at their antics. "How are you feeling Sam?"

"Better than the last time I was awake."

"That's good. You should be out of here in a week or so and back on active duty a few weeks after that. Now, I think your team want to spend some time with you." With that as her parting statement, Janet turned and left, leaving the newly reconciled SG1 alone.

"Captain Carter, Daniel Jackson and O'Neill have returned to their previous state of friendship as you requested." Sam couldn't help but smile at the formal Teal'c had told her that they were friends again.

"Yeah Sam, were all here now. Hear you wanted to see us all together, as a team."

"Yeah, what he said."

Sam could already feel herself slipping back into unconsciousness. "I'm just glad you managed to work it out. Don't like people falling over stupid things." As she finished her sentence, she dozed of again, leaving Jack and Daniel looking at each other in complete astonishment.

"We did fall out over her getting shot didn't we?!" Was Jack's confused response.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Oh, well. Now that's over, we better start planning for when Carter's back on her feet. Hammond said he'd save P3X-797 for us. Should be a lot of fun."

**Wow, when I wrote this I had no idea how long it would be. Believe it or not I started this as my second fanfic and then it disappeared out of my documents folder and I couldn't find it until I tried deleting a couple of episodes of defiance off my laptop and it came up telling me my recycle bin was full and I went to empty it and it said remove all 165 items! Curious as I am, I went through it and... Hey presto, look what I found. So I finished it off and corrected my mistakes (I hope) and posted it. Now I can get back to lost memories and trusting your friends. I blame it on the actual warm summer weather that we've had in Britain, anyone living here will know what I mean. XxX**

**Sorry for babbling, oh and anyone know what planet P3X-797 is, if you do you should smile at the end, because we all now how much fun that was!**


End file.
